Flood project starts this week

WORKS and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan yesterday said a pilot project to help alleviate flooding in Port of Spain will start this week. Sinanan made this announcement at the ministry in Port of Spain. He said the project will start in South Quay involving the installation of a sump and a large automatic pump. Sinanan explained the pump will help pull “the water out of south quay especially in the high tide”

This, Sinanan continued, was the result of work done by the ministry two months ago. He said two contracts were awards last week. One dealt with this project. The other concerned the clearing of all the cylinders to take water across Wrightson Road towards the sea. Should the South Quay project be successful, Sinanan said it will be repeated in several parts of downtown Port of Spain.

While this will bring significant relief, Sinanan said it will not solve the flooding problem in Port of Spain. He explained that problem had to do with the city being located in a basin and excess water from nearby rivers collecting in underground drains which have not been upgraded for the last 56 years. Sinanan said long term infrastructure in Port of Spain will need to be addressed.

He added the ministry continues to closely monitor flooding in all parts of the country and provide assistance where it is needed.